How Did the Grim Sleeper Kill for 25 Years While the LAPD Kept It Secret?

True Crime Today | Daily True Crime News & Interviews · Jun 19, 2026 · 13m

Lonnie Franklin Jr. was not a criminal mastermind. He used the same .25 caliber handgun for every killing. He operated within a ten-block radius in South Los Angeles for over two decades. At least six of those he killed were found blocks from his own home. He once worked as a mechanic for the LAPD. And the LAPD knew about him by 1988 and chose to tell nobody.The women Franklin targeted were young, Black, and poor. Some had ties to the street economy. During the crack epidemic, their deaths didn't make the news. Their murders became cold cases almost instantly. Multiple police chiefs — Daryl…